Francophonie set to tackle tough issues: minister
By KEVIN DOUGHERTY, The Gazette

The Gazette (Montreal)
November 24, 2004 Wednesday
Final Edition

OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso — The Francophonie appears ready to
move beyond issues of culture and identity to tackle more political
questions, says Canada’s minister for the international body.

Jacques Saada said yesterday at the summit here that he expects the
Francophonie will take on a stronger political role and commit itself
to development issues. He said he is well placed to get involved in
such changes.

“I am the first person of African origin to be named to the (Canadian)
cabinet,” said Saada, who was born in Tunisia and grew up in France
before immigrating to Canada. He is now Liberal MP for the South
Shore riding of Brossard-Laprairie.

Leaders of more than 60 countries belonging to – or seeking to join
– the club of French-speaking governments are converging on Burkina
Faso for the 10th Summit of the Francophonie.

Prime Minister Paul Martin arrives this morning from Brazil, and
Premier Jean Charest flies in this evening from Quebec. Canada,
Quebec and New Brunswick all have full membership.

Andorra and Greece want to become associate members. Armenia, Austria,
Croatia, Hungary and Georgia will be here seeking observer status.

While in the past the Francophonie has danced around tough issues,
at this summit the crisis in neighbouring Ivory Coast and lingering
instability in Haiti will be on the table.

“The question is very complex,” Saada said, referring to Ivory Coast,
where government jets attacked a French army base this month, killing
10. Ivory Coast claims 63 citizens were killed and hundreds wounded
when France retaliated.

Canada has support for its position that Ivory Coast drop a
constitutional change barring anyone not born there from running for
president, Saada said.

That provision disqualified two rivals in the 2000 election, allowing
Laurent Gbagbo to become president in 2002. Dissatisfaction with
Gbagbo sparked a rebellion in the north, where most immigrants from
Burkina Faso, Ghana and Mali – 26 per cent of the population – live.

Saada said Canada is calling for multilateral efforts to bring
stability to Haiti.

As Paul Martin’s emissary, Saada in September informed Algerian
president Abdelaziz Bouteflika that Canada had won support for
fast-tracking Algeria’s membership. The country is Canada’s leading
trade partner in the region.

Algeria is marking the 50th anniversary this year of its war of
independence from France, Saada noted. “In Algeria, the Francophonie
is extremely present, despite Arabization,” he said.

Yesterday, Monique Gagnon-Tremblay, Quebec’s deputy premier,
inaugurated the first of 12 community “cybercentres.” Quebec is
contributing a total of 60 Internet work stations.

“Summits often just come and go,” she said. “We wanted to leave
something, especially for the young people.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress